Buccaneers vs. Saints: TV Schedule, Live Streaming, Radio, Game Time and More

The race in the NFC South continues to heat up and right in the middle of it all are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

These two have already gotten together once this year and it was the Bucs that came away with the win.

Tampa then lost their showdown with the Chicago Bears in London before entering a bye week.

The Saints, on the other hand, are coming off the worst loss of any team this season. A week after hanging 62 points on the winless the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans made of mess of things in St. Louis.

The loss to the previously winless Rams was ugly and embarrassing.

Neither can afford a loss this week.

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome; New Orleans, Louisiana

When: Sunday, November 6th at 1:00 p.m. EST

Watch: Fox. DirecTV 708. 

Listen: Bucs - WFUS 103.5 / WDAE 620 AM, Sirius 136. Saints WWL 870AM, 105.3FM & WWL.COM - Sirius 86.

Betting Line: Saints -8.5

This line is surprisingly high considering the Bucs already defeated the Saints earlier this season.

Be cautious with this line and wait to see what it closes at.

What's At Stake?

Lead in the NFC South. The Saints currently hold a half-game lead over both the Bucs and Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans still has a bye week waiting for them.

A loss here for the Saints would not only give the Bucs a distinct advantage, but it would give them a heads-up edge as well.

New Orleans cannot afford to be swept.

The Buccaneers have just as much at stake. A win would be huge for both their divisional and wild-card chances.

This matchup could go a long way in determining this division.

Bucs' Injury Report

Date	Pos	Player	Injury	NFL Status	Fantasy News
11/01/11	RB	LeGarrette Blount	Knee		Questionable for Week 9 at New Orleans
11/01/11	LB	Mason Foster	Ankle		Questionable for Week 9 at New Orleans
10/26/11	DB	Tanard Jackson	Hamstring		Bye. Questionable for Week 9 at New Orleans
10/26/11	DL	Gerald McCoy	Ankle		Bye. Questionable for Week 9 at New Orleans
10/26/11	WR	Sammie Stroughter	Ankle		Bye. Questionable for Week 9 at New Orleans

Saints' Injury Report

Date	Pos	Player	Injury	NFL Status	Fantasy News
10/30/11	LB	Will Herring	Hamstring		Missed Week 8 at St. Louis
10/30/11	RB	Mark Ingram	Heel		Missed Week 8 at St. Louis
10/30/11	DL	Turk McBride	Shoulder		Missed Week 8 at St. Louis
10/30/11	TE	David Thomas	Concussion		Missed Week 8 at St. Louis

* Injury reports courtesy of CBSSports.com

Fantasy Start 'Em, Sit' Em and Sleeper

Start 'Em: LeGarrette Blount, RB, Bucs

The Bucs have been without their leading rusher for far too long. Blount is finally going to be back in the lineup this week and he's not going to leave the field at all either.

The loss of Earnest Graham means Blount is now the every down back, again.

Expect to see a heavy dose of the bruising back against the the league's 24th rated rush defense.

Sit 'Em: Preston Parker, WR, Bucs

He's seen his opportunities shrink of late and they will only get smaller with Blount back in the lineup.

Couple that with Arrelious Benn getting more involved and Parker is far from a safe play.

Sleeper: Robert Meachem, WR, Saints

Drew Brees certainly has a ton of options to choose from, but there certain games where he gets happy with long receivers.

After an ugly outing in St. Louis, don't be shocked if we see Brees open it up a bit more to Meachem or Devery Henderson, two players who've been almost non-factors in the last several weeks.

Meachem, being the more consistent one, could merit it a risky play should you be in need of a flex option.

What They're Saying

The St. Petersburg Times talks of the return of Bucs starting running back LeGarrette Blount:

"

LeGarrette Blount is back. Back as the Bucs starting tailback. Back as the third down back. Back as the every down back he hoped to be when the season started.

After missing two games with a left knee sprain, Blount will return to the lineup Sunday against the Saints. More important, with Earnest Graham lost for the season with a torn right Achilles', Blount also will remain on the field on most third down situations.

"

Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune broke down how the Rams handled the Saints blitz package last week:

"

The Rams had a great game plan to exploit the Saints' high-pressure attack. They rarely went down the field and instead beat the Saints' blitz with quick timing throws to their receivers and let them make yards after the catch. Their most successful tactic was to use quick crossing routes - also known as pick plays - against the Saints' soft man-to-man coverage. This tactic worked time and time again as Feeley unloaded the pass before the Saints blitzed could reach him. When the Saints did hold up on the back end, the rush was able to create problems. 

"

Expect to see the Rams hold back more this week.

Bucs Player to Watch: LeGarrette Blount, RB

His return is extremely important to this team. The fact that Graham is lost for the season makes him even more important for the entire Bucs offense.

Blitz pickup and out-of-the-backfield work is hardly his strong suit, but it is time for him to put it all together.

His team needs him to step up.

Saints Player to Watch: Jimmy Graham, TE

After being held in check by the Rams defense last week, Drew Brees is going to want to find his tight end early and often in this one.

Graham lit up the Bucs last time these two teams met on seven catches for 124 yards. He didn't, however, find the end zone.

Expect that to change this week.

Key Matchup: Bucs D-Line vs. Saints O-Line

One of the biggest factors in last week's loss to the Rams was the Saints' inability to protect Drew Brees.

The signal caller was sacked six times and his timing was often disrupted with his receivers, because even when he wasn't getting sacked he was getting hit.

The Bucs are one of the league's worst pass rushing units and have turned in only 12 sacks on the year.

That needs to change in this game or an angry Drew Brees is going to light them up.

On the Hotseat: LeGarrette Blount, RB, Bucs

We've talked about him a lot so far, but he might be the most important piece to this game and the Bucs season at large.

The second-year back out of Oregon has a chance to show he can be an every down player for this team.

Not only will it boost his value, but will also go a long way in helping the play-action pass game for Josh Freeman.

If he fails, they'll need to find somebody else to handle third down duty.

Prediction: Saints 26, Bucs 20